Financial services technology leader FIS (NYSE: FIS) announced today that it is assisting a number of U.S. states to enable online purchasing of food for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit recipients under a pilot program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
As a leading provider of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) processing services for state-administered SNAP benefits, FIS has enabled Washington, Oregon and Nebraska to go live on the USDA online pilot program. The states of Florida, California, Idaho and Arizona, which contract with FIS for EBT processing services, have been approved under the USDA pilot program and are expected to be operational with online shopping capabilities in the coming weeks.
Through the USDA’s pilot program, SNAP recipients in participating states can use their EBT cards to make online purchases of groceries through authorized retailers, including Walmart and Amazon. Typically, EBT cards could only be used for purchases at the brick-and-mortar stores of participating retailers.
“In these times of need, it is critical that SNAP recipients and families be able to shop for the food they need from the convenience of their home,” said Jim Johnson, head of Financial Institution Payments and Wealth at FIS. “As a critical infrastructure provider, FIS is committed to working with our government partners to speed assistance to those who need it the most during the current health crisis.”